Background

The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC )was created in June 1933 by the US Congress. The purpose was to refinance mortgages in default to prevent foreclosures. In 1935 Federal Home Loan Bank Board asked HOLC to look at 239 cities and create "residential security maps" to indicate the level of security for real-estate investments. On the maps, the newest areas — those considered desirable for lending purposes — were outlined in blue and known as "Type A". These were typically affluent suburbs on the outskirts of cities. "Type B" neighborhoods were considered "Still Desirable", whereas older "Type C" neighborhoods were labeled "Declining" and outlined in yellow. "Type D" neighborhoods were outlined in red and were considered the most risky for mortgage support.

How to Cite

Ohio Cities

Fourteen of these cities were in Ohio. The maps were usually hand drawn and hand colored and not published. The area descriptions were typed or hand written on forms. The surviving maps and area descriptions are in the National Archives. In late 2012 the Ohio State University Libraries purchased digital copies of the maps and area descriptions for the fourteen Ohio cities. Two cities, Columbus and Cincinnati, do not have area descriptions, only a map. It is these digital copies that are made available for download here. Maps and area descriptions will open in a new window. Maps are jepg images, area descriptions are pdfs -- Some of the files are quite large.

Area descriptions are divided by “Type A-D” and “Type C” is divided East and West of the Cuyahoga River. The Type A file includes the introduction and explanation. These descriptions best correspond to the 1940 version.

These are websites with enhanced and in some cases interactive maps:

The University of Richmond's Digital Scholarship Lab has completed "MAPPING INEQUALITY" based on the HOLC redlining maps. Over 150 interactive maps and nearly 5000 individual area descriptions are available.

Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity

The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity is an interdisciplinary engaged research institute at The Ohio State University established in May 2003. It was named for former university president William E. “Brit” Kirwan in recognition of his efforts to champion diversity at OSU.

Our goal is to connect individuals and communities with opportunities needed for thriving by educating the public, building the capacity of allied social justice organizations, and investing in efforts that support equity and inclusion. Here at the Kirwan Institute we do this through research, engagement, and communication.

Our mission is simple: we work to create a just and inclusive society where all people and communities have opportunity to succeed.

Please contact the Kirwan Institute for more assistance with the Redlining Maps.